Work First, Love Second
by Jennala
Summary: Bella Swan works for the FBI. When she and another agent get assigned to work on a dangerous mission together, they fall in love along the way. Will their love get in the way of capturing a Russian spy? Will they succeed before destruction hits?
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer ( for all chapters ):** I do not own Twilight, New Moon, or Eclipse.

**Summary: ( They are all human ) Bella Swan is 26 years old and an American agent, also known as the FBI. She and another agent, 27 year old Edward Cullen, get assigned to go on a very dangerous mission to capture a Russian spy, but they fall in love along the way. Will their love get in the way of capturing this very dangerous man before he gives away all of the government's secrets? Will they succeed before destruction hits?**

**Chapter 1**

"Congratulations, Angela!" I hugged her tightly before handing her my housewarming gift.

"Oh, Bella! Thank you!" She beamed with pride as her husband, Ben, walked up and wrapped an arm around her waist.

"Hi, Bella." Ben smiled warmly at me, and I shook his hand in greeting. Ben and Angela had been high school sweethearts. They lasted all through college together and got married as soon as Ben graduated from business school in Seattle, where they were now living.

"I can't believe you travelled all the way here, just for my house warming party…" Angela gushed.

"I only live in Sacramento…" I exaggerated. The truth was, the drive had been long and tiring, but I wasn't about to let Angela in on that. "And I needed to pay a visit to my dad. It's been a while since I've seen him." She seemed convinced. I was about to say more when my phone started vibrating madly.

I pulled it out of my pocket, glancing at the number. I smiled apologetically. "I need to take this." Angela and Ben smiled politely, dismissing me.

I walked quickly out the front door, and made sure there were no eavesdroppers around before I answered.

"Hello?"

"Why hello, Isabella. I hope you are enjoying the housewarming party." The man's voice was smooth and practiced.

"I am, thank you. So, what can I help you with?"

He ignored my question. "Bella, I think the party may be running low on drinks. Why don't you be a doll and go get them some?"

And then he hung up.

I put my blackberry back into my pocket, and returned in the house. Angela was talking to her new neighbors, by the present table. I knew she wouldn't let me leave the party in order to buy some drinks without a scene, so I sought out Ben. He was in the living room, with the big football game on, cheering wildly.

"Ben?" I stood behind the couch where he was sitting. He half turned around, trying to be polite, but his eyes kept flashing back to the television impatiently.

"I'm going to run out and get some more drinks, real quick. I'll be right back, alright?" The team Ben was rooting for scored a touchdown and he whooped loudly, cheering with the rest of the Seattle Seahawk fans.

"I take that as a yes." I laughed, as Ben turned back around and looked at me sheepishly.

"Sorry about that. This is the playoffs and…"

I held up a hand. "It's alright, Ben. Enjoy the game, I'll be back." He wasn't paying attention anymore as the other team got the ball.

I walked out of the crowded house, and got in my car which was thankfully not blocked in by another vehicle.

The closet convenient store was about a mile away. The gas station was empty aside from one car, parked in front. I pulled in next to the black Mercedes, a car I knew very well.

The 7-Eleven sign buzzed, and a bell chimed when I opened the door. The man at the counter reading a magazine glanced up, before looking back down at the playboy in his hands. I rolled my eyes as I hurried over to the back of the store where the drinks were.

"Long time no see, Isabella." My boss smiled up at me on the other side of the aisle, directly across from me.

"It is. So what brings you all the way up to Seattle?" I walked over to the freezer section, browsing their drink selections.

"The same thing that brings you up here, a party. Not the same party you were invited too, but a party nonetheless."

I turned around to face him, to find him staring at me. His eyes gleaming.

"Oh, well I'm sure if Angela or Ben knew who you were, you would have been invited."

He sighed dramatically, acting. "But still. I wish I could have gone. I would have loved to see their new house." I ignored the individual bottles in the freezer and picked up a six-pack of Coke. I followed him down the candy section, so we were near the front of the store. The worker with the playboy looked up at us curiously. "I must be going now. Why don't you give Angela and Ben my best wishes when you return to the party. I want nothing more than for them to be happy." He grinned before he turned and headed out of the store, hitting his elbow on a Hershey bar. Whenever we had to meet, our meetings were very brief and discrete.

"I guess I'll be eating chocolate, tonight." I joked to myself, before picking up the large Hershey bar, walking to the counter and buying my items.

"I'm so glad you came, Bella! And thank you so much for the coffee pot! Heaven knows we needed one." She laughed, and gave me a tight hug.

"No problem. I'll call you later." I promised. She waved to me as I got in my car, the last one in the driveway, and drove off.

The hotel was about ten minutes away, so I got there easily. I had checked in earlier, so I didn't have to worry about the hassle of waiting and messing with luggage.

The elevator ride took me up four floors, before I got off and found my room.

I put my reading glasses on and sat at the desk in the room. The Hershey bar had melted a little in its wrapper from being in my purse, pressed up against my body.

I took off the brown wrapper that said Hershey on it, and then threw it out. That wasn't the part I needed. The silver part of the wrapper came off easily. As if someone had taken it off before, then rewrapped it.

I wiped the melted chocolate off the wrapper with a damp tissue so I could see the message that was written more clearly.

The inside of the wrapper was scribbled on. I took the remaining chocolate bar and threw it out without a second thought.

I held the wrapper close to my face, to see the tiny writing in the silver paper.

_Isabella Swan, you know the drill. This message must be properly disposed off after you finish reading it. No exceptions._

_Here's your story. Vladimir Anton is a Russian spy who is currently in our country leaking information. He is somewhere on the northern east coast. Most likely New York. You and another agent are going to fly to New York and look for him. The information he is leaking to the Russian government is so confidential, that very few people here in the FBI even know what it is. You will get more information when you arrive in the New York airport. The agent that is going to be your accomplice will be seated next to you in your flight, giving you time to get to know him. When you arrive in the Seattle airport at 5:40 a.m., you will receive your ticket. So get some rest, and we'll see you tomorrow._

I tore the wrapper into many tiny pieces before putting it in a paper sack that I was taught I always needed to carry with me. I would have to burn this somewhere later.

The clock read 12:35 a.m. I yawned before quickly throwing on my pajamas, setting my alarm clock, and falling into bed. Tomorrow was going to be a long, exhausting day. I wonder who my partner was going to be. Whoever he was, he better not slow me down. I had promised I would visit Charlie while I was here so we need to find this guy and arrest him…

Sleep overtook me.

The buzzing of the alarm clock startled me, causing me to jump out of bed. Another thing I had learned was to be on my guard at all times and to never get startled.

It was already 4:30 by the time I finished my shower and got my small suitcase ready. The hotel seemed deserted when I headed to the front desk. The lady was drinking a Starbucks when I checked out and the smell just about killed me. Oh how I needed my coffee…

The road had quite a bit of cars for being so early in the morning and the airport was a struggle to get into. I parked my car into the parking garage and took a shuttle back to the airport. It was 5:35 by the time the shuttle pulled up to the American Airlines section of the airport.

I bit my lip nervously as the driver slowly helped people get their luggage off the bus. _They_ absolutely hated it when I was late.

Forget this; I can get my own luggage off the bus. I'm stronger than most people think. I shrugged my way through the grumpy people ahead of me, grabbed my bag off the rack, and hopped off the bus. I jogged through the sliding doors and looked around. It was 5:38. I had barely made it.

"First class, Isabella. Enjoy your flight." A woman I had never seen before handed me a long ticket, before disappeared out the door.

I basically fell into my airplane seat, ready to get some sleep. I had my skinny caramel latte in my hand and a napkin from the bagel I had just eaten in the other. My partner had yet to board the plane.

_Hurry up!_ I was impatient. Why couldn't he just get on the plane so I could introduce myself and sleep the rest of the way? I threw my head back against the chair headrest and looked out the window at the men making sure the large plane was ready to take off. I used to wonder how my life would have been if I had a _normal _job. Not having to worry about going on a random trip or getting hurt during a 'business trip'. I felt someone sit in the seat next to me and sigh. Finally…

"Hi, my name is…" I stopped in my tracks when I saw an older man, with graying hair. He smelled funny and was missing one of his teeth. This could _not_ be the guy I was supposed to be working with…

"Excuse me, that's my seat." A velvet voice interrupted my thoughts. The man was standing over us and was politely smiling a beautiful, crooked smile causing my heart to stop. What was wrong with me? I'm a strong girl…

So why do I feel so weak?

The man sitting next to me smiled a toothless grin and shook his head. "I don't think so. I know this lovely lady would like to sit by me and if I moved I think she would be very disappointed." I tried to repress my shudder. The man with the bronze hair and gorgeous smile sent me a fleeting wink.

"Oh, really? Well, before you make a decision for her, why don't we ask my wife if she would like to sit by you or not…" I sat on my left, ring less hand in case the man looked.

"I'm sorry, sir. But I can't sit by anyone else, aside from my _husband_ on an airplane. I don't feel safe." I put on my best act and batted my eyelashes innocently. The man next to me seemed flustered.

"This is my seat…" He argued weakly.

"No…this is _my_ seat." The handsome man pulled out his ticket and showed the guy. It read,

Seat: 2C

The guy mumbled some swear words, before he grabbed his luggage and headed back to _second_ class.

He took his seat and got settled before he turned to me. "So, I guess I'm your accomplice." He chuckled.

"I guess so. I'm Isabella Swan, but most people call me Bella." He stuck out his hand politely and I shook it. He had a firm grasp.

"It's nice to meet you. I'm Edward Cullen."

**A/N: Do you guys like it? I hope so.**

**If you have any questions, feel free to ask me.**

**Now go and review, review, review!**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Thanks for all the reviews! I love you guys!**

**All of your reviews made me smile.**

**---**

**Chapter 2**

I didn't sleep on the plane as long as I had hoped. The caffeine had kept me up, so Edward decided we needed to get to know each other. He said it was always a good idea to know who he was working with, just in case we had to play the whole husband/wife scenario again.

I learned he loved to play the piano in his spare time and that he joined part of his 'business' accidentally. He has no regrets though. Seeing the world and traveling was one of his goals in life and now he gets to do it for free. He was fascinating and I felt boring in comparison, yet he surprisingly hung on my every word.

We both decided to get some shut eye when 1 P.M. rolled around. But all too soon, the plane started to descend.

"Good afternoon, passengers. It's 5:01 in the afternoon here in Chicago, Illinois." I glanced down at my watch, which read 2:01, Washington time. " The weather is looking good, with clear skies and light winds. I hope you enjoyed your flight with American Airlines and I hope you have a great day." The intercom turned off and I groaned.

"Something wrong?" Edward's musical voice taunted me.

"No, I just didn't realize we had a layover." I rubbed my eyes, hopping I didn't look like a mess. Though how anyone can look good after a flight is beyond me.

"You mean you didn't get a second ticket?" His eyes were wide as I started to panic. I searched my jean pockets and my bag. Then my coat pocket.

"Oh." I moaned feeling like an utter moron. The plane started to descend causing my ears to pop.

"Please turn off all electronic items and keep your seatbelt fastened as we land. Thanks again for flying with American Airlines."

I opened up my crumpled ticket and looked at how long our duration would last.

"44 minutes?" I _hated _ layovers. At least I'd be able to eat some decent food…

"Is that all?" Edward joked, rolling his eyes at my reaction.

"I just want to get there and get this over with." I tried to explain, Edward's smile faltered a bit.

"Wanting to get rid of me already?" He smirked, but his eyes were cautious. I quickly corrected myself.

"No, no…it's just that…"

"Bella, I'm just giving you a hard time…Take a breath." He laughed as the plane landed on the runway with a thud. I quickly put my ticket in my coat pocket and made sure I had put away all my belongings.

---

The ninety minutes went by surprisingly quick as Edward and I ate an airport restaurant. But then Edward broke the news.

"So, are you ready for the 3 hour flight to New York?"

"Three more hours, huh? Maybe this time I'll be able to get some sleep…"

"You'll need it. We'll be losing three hours of sleep."

"Yeah, I figured that out when I learned that I had missed lunch." I mumbled, stealing a quick glance at the clock on the restaurant wall. It was nearing 6:30 P.M. "I guess we should go ahead and find our terminal." Searching through my mess of a purse, I pulled out my wallet. "How much was my meal?"

Edward ignored me and slapped down thirty dollars. "I'm going to be a gentleman and pay. So don't worry about it."

I debated on arguing, but decided it wasn't worth it. "Fine, but I'm buy the bottled waters." I picked up my bag and my purse. Edward was a step ahead of me, already pushing in his chair.

We made a quick stop at the airport store, so I could buy four bottled waters. "Bella? What do you think you're doing? Where are you going to put all those? And did you even look at the price…two dollars a bottle!" This is why I hated shopping with men. Even if it was buying something as small as water.

"Two of these are for you, Edward. And I don't know about you…but I do _not_ want jet lag. No matter how small it is." I paid for the water, and stuffed them in my suitcase. Edward stared at me blankly. "Are you serious? You mean I have to actually _explain_…" I sighed dramatically as we made it to our terminal and took a seat. They would start boarding in about 5 minutes, at 6:45 Illinois time.

"So, are you going to tell me why you bought us each two large bottles of water?"

"Edward, the air in the airplane is very dry…and our bodies can become very dehydrated., making our jetlag worse. But if we keep our body hydrated, we'll feel less dizzy and sleepy than we normally would. I for one, don't like the lightheaded feeling I get after I get off an airplane…" I took out two of the bottles of water and handed them to Edward. "Now, if you choose to drink them or not, that's your choice. But I need you to take them anyway, they're making my bag heavy."

Edward took the bottles from me and examined them as if he was seeing them for the first time.

"We are now boarding all first class passengers. All first class passengers."

Edward and I stood up, and made our way to the front. "Hopefully there won't be any weirdo's in your seat this time…" I laughed, handing the lady my ticket.

"Enjoy your flight to New York City."

---

Edward and I once again had to change our watches when we landed in New York. It was about, 8 P.M. New York time and about 5 P.M. in Washington.

We both had gone to the bathroom twice on the airplane, for we both had drank both of our water bottles.

"Wow, you're right. I don't have that light headed feeling." I grinned triumphantly.

We waited about ten minutes for us to get our other luggage at the baggage claim, before we headed outside in the freezing cold weather. I pulled my coat tighter on me, and shivered.

"Where are they?" I skimmed my surroundings, then to spot a spotless, black Mercedes and a lady tapping her foot impatiently.

"There you two are!" Janet called out, causing both of us to whip her head in her direction, She continued to tap her foot and glare. Edward and I exchanged a brief glance before dragging our bags to where she was standing.

I had met Janet once before, on my last mission. If she was involved with a case, then it was something serious. She didn't waste her time dealing with bank robberies or even a simple murder.

The trunk popped open, but before we could make an attempt to put our belongings in, the driver popped out of the car and did it for us.

"Hello there, Jan…" Edward started.

"Don't even! Why have neither of you answered my calls or messages?" She snapped as she opened the passenger door, narrowing her eyes. I slid in, all the way to the other side as Edward got in after me. Janet slammed the door and got in the passenger seat.

"I didn't get any service on my phone, so I turned it off to save battery…"

"Don't give me that! Why do you think I gave you a 44 minute layover? So you two could just sit around and dilly dally? I don't think so…" I turned on my phone to see that I had 23 voicemails. I winced, hoping it hadn't been anything to important.

"What have I told both of you to always keep your blackberries on!?" The driver pushed his way into the absolute mess of traffic. This was grand central station! Not literally, but close…

"I'm sorry…" Edward started, giving up the already lost fight. Janet's expression softened but she held up a hand to stop him.

"What did I say about saying, 'sorry'. Whenever you say that, you put yourself down. What did I say I prefer?"

She looked at Edward and I expectantly. I had heard this all before. At the same time, we both spoke. "I _apologize."_

She grinned and faced the front of the car, as the driver continued to inch down the road. Janet was not someone you truly wanted to be around and not someone you wanted to mess with.

"Alright. So while we sit in this horrific traffic…I want you to look over these." She passed back two large manila folders. One said E.C. and the other B.S. I passed Edward the thicker folder. This thing weighed a ton!

"You will have a different last name, for security purposes. Instead of Swan, you're last name will be Turner. And instead of Cullen, your last name will be Masen." Janet babbled on.

I opened the folder to see a picture of myself staring back at me on a new ID. All the information was the same except for the last name. Underneath the card, was a copy of the hotel information. She was like a recording, guiding us through each piece of paper.

"You're staying at the Hilton, on floor 18." I tuned her out as I found the piece of paper I was looking for.

Janet turned around and saw me skimming over it.

"Ah, yes. The reason I brought my two best agents to New York City." Edward looked up from his papers, wanting to hear this as well.

Janet cleared her throat dramatically, before she started. "Recently, a bunch of our main documents have been stolen directly out of our file room in California. We have interviewed and searched all of the agents who were working at the time, but they all came through clean. Lucky for us, we had several extra copies of this information. Unfortunately, this information is vital and if shown to the wrong person…something drastic could happen. We searched the room, and found several fingerprints on the broken laptop in the room. Our database found the culprit as Vladimir Anton, a Russian FBI agent. Someone in our building must have assisted him, for there was no signs or breaking and entering. We checked all records of him to see if he left the country, but there was nothing. Then we found a fake name of his, registered on a plane ticket to New York City. Which is why you are here. To find him before the information gets leaked to Russia which would be _devastating._ This man has also gotten caught for selling international arms and possessing illegal weapons. We need this man and whoever is working with him taken down and fast…"

We turned into the Hilton, so Janet abruptly stopped what she was saying. Edward and I exited the car about the same time. This time, though, the driver didn't offer to help us with our bags. He just popped the trunk, letting the bellhop boys come in and take over.

Just as we were about to enter the building, Janet rolled down her window.

"Have fun you to…and be careful."

And then the black Mercedes sped off, back into the heavy traffic of New York City.

"Are you ready for this, Edward?" I elbowed him as we stood in the elevator.

"Ready as I'll ever be. What about you?" He elbowed me back, and I pretended to wince in pain.

"Of course. Let's get this show on the road."


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N:** Thanks for all the reviews last chapter! They made me smile.

Now, voila…

* * *

**Chapter 3**

The room had two large beds, thankfully. I set my bags on the bed next to the window and looked out at the busy street below and the brightly lit city. Not a star could be seen from the window. I wonder if Angela or Charlie could see any stars from where they were. It was about 6 P.M. there, so the stars should start peeking through the sky about now…

"What if I wanted the bed by the window?" I had almost forgotten he was in the room with me. He chuckled as he threw his suitcase on the floor carelessly.

"Then I'd say too bad, so sad, get on with life." I yawned, sending him a wink to let him know I was kidding. I closed the blinds and put the 'Do Not Disturb' door hanger outside our door before gathering up my toiletries.

I started toward the bathroom the same time Edward did. I shot him a 'don't even think about it' glare.

"Bella, ladies always take longer in the bathroom than men. Just let me go first…" Edward's eyes bore into mine, but I was not going to give in that easily.

"No way! I do not want to be stepping in pee while I brush my teeth." Edward looked appalled.

"I do _not_ pee on the floor. Not even in my own apartment when no one is around. It's disgusting and I have much better manners than that. I am not some little boy who can't seem to go to the bathroom straight. I am a grown man…"

"So grown men aren't allowed to pee all over the floor? Does the 'urine on the floor' stage stop at a certain age?"

"Bella, you are being absurd! I would already be done in the bathroom right now."

"So would I!"

We both took a step toward the bathroom.

"Bella…please. I'll be faster than you. And I promise I won't pee on the floor…I just really need to use the restroom and get this nasty airline food out of my teeth!"

"Edward…so do I. Why don't you be a gentleman and just let the lady go first…" Edward sent me a pleading glance, squirming. I was about to take another step toward the bathroom when he darted in before me and slammed the door. "Ugh!" I banged my fist on the door while I plopped myself down on Edward's bed and glared at the door until Edward emerged.

Not two minutes later, Edward opened the door with a goofy grin on his face. "It's all yours, Bella." He waved his hand toward the door, as if presenting something. I stormed past him and slammed the door in his face as he had done to me earlier. His chuckle floated through the room, easing my irritation at him.

At least there wasn't any pee on the floor or the toilet seat…

When I came out of the bathroom, I was about to throw some witty remark at him, only to find him completely dozed off in his bed. His messy, auburn hair fell over his eyes and his deep breathing was steady.

"Goodnight, Edward." I whispered, too tired to stay angry at him. I crawled into my own bed and fell asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow.

* * *

The smell of food immediately woke up my senses. The clock read 7:30 A.M., and a tray of food was sitting on the desk across the room. Edward was sitting on the couch, reading the newspaper that had been delivered to our room.

"Morning, Bella. I ordered room service and there's a pot of coffee waiting for you on that table over there." Edward barely glanced up at me, engrossed in whatever article he was reading.

I poured myself some steaming coffee in the Styrofoam cups the hotel provided and grabbed a piece of bacon off the tray of food on the table. "That's not the only thing you're eating are you?" Edward looked at me disapprovingly as I sat down next to him, propping my feet up on the table.

I shrugged and finished the strip, before leaning over to see what Edward was reading. "What's up with the world, today?"

"Well, the weather today will be chilly, so wear a scarf." He raised his eyebrows at me, before turning back to the paper. "A lady here in New York City turned one hundred and five. A yellow beetle bug is up for sale…" He flipped a page. "Oh yeah, and Vladimir Anton has reportedly leaked some crucial information to the Russian government." He closed the paper and placed it on my lap. I yanked it open and scanned the article before breathing in a sigh of relief.

"Don't do that! You scared me for a minute…" I looked back down at the article Edward had been reading. It was about some random basketball game.

He laughed before he put a scarf around his neck and a heavy coat on. He slipped his badge in his coat pocket, looking at me expectantly. "Janet called me today, while you were still asleep, telling us that we need to make ourselves discrete tourists on a honeymoon. We don't want to look suspicious and scare anyone away. The less noticeable we are, the less likely any of our suspects will run. If any of Anton's spies realize someone is onto them, they'll be out of here before any of us notice."

I hopped up and ran into the bathroom, throwing on a sweater and jeans. I put my heavy jacket on and put on all my FBI necessities.

"So…" I started as I walked out of the bathroom. Edward stopped me in my tracks by wrapping a scarf tightly around my neck. His hand brushed against my face, causing a blush to spread across my cheeks. Edward noticed and flashed a crooked smile, causing my blush to become a deeper red. I never got this flustered!

"Annie, get your gun…" Edward quoted the play, as he tapped his hip, where he had strapped his gun. His jacket covered it nicely, where no one would ever guess.

I tapped my hip back at him dramatically. "Yes, I have it." I slipped a pair of gloves on my hands and headed out the door. Edward followed me out.

Neither of us bothered to take the 'Do Not Disturb' sign off our door, knowing Janet would send a highly screened hired maid to do it.

We walked out of the Hilton, ready for the winds to crash against our faces. California had never been this cold! I shivered and was very aware when Edward slipped his hand around my waist as we started walking down the street. I was about to protest when Edward whispered in my ear.

"Were on our honeymoon, _dear._ Please, cooperate with me…" I rolled my eyes but leaned in his embrace, admiring all the activity around me, even though it was just about freezing outside.

"Where exactly are we going to shop first, _sweetheart_." I batted my eyelashes up at him, staring into his eyes. His breathing seemed to cease for a minute.

"Well, I was thinking…"

"Edward Cullen?! Is that you?!" A tall, strawberry blonde female ran up to us, a large Louis Vuitton purse dangling from her arm. She pulled him away from me and engulfed him in a large hug. "It's so great to see you!" She released him from the hug but kept her hand on his forearm.

I couldn't help the flash of jealously I felt toward this woman, and I didn't even know her! It seemed like Edward didn't either, which made me feel a tiny bit better.

"Uh. Have we met before?" He looked at me nervously, trying to pull his arm away from her grasp politely.

"Yes! In Washington, D.C. at a 'special meeting'." She drew little air quotes in the air. Edward took this moment of freedom to wrap his arm around my waist, still trying to keep up the honeymoon roll. He felt my stiff shoulders, and glanced down at me. When he saw my glare toward the woman, he chuckled.

"Jealous are we, Bella?" He whispered, low enough so I could barely here. I shrugged his arm off of me.

"Not a chance." I mumbled back, angrily. And I wasn't…

Was I? This was just too confusing…

"You have to remember, Edward…It's me, Tanya! You took me to go get some coffee after that _great _lecture with Mr. Combs…" I had heard about Mr. Combs before. He was a special agent for the white house. Only 'special' FBI agents get to go to his classes. I had never gotten the privilege to actually fly out and meet him. Sure I had been invited, but I was always in the middle of a case and never got to see him.

Realization seemed to dawn across Edward's face after she said this.

"Oh! Tanya from Alaska! Yes, I remember now…" He flashed a smile and Tanya absolutely beamed. I grunted and crossed my arms. What was I, a brick wall?

Edward, of course, took notice. "Tanya, this is Bella. Bella, meet Tanya."

"How do you do?" I said stiffly, as she shook my hand nervously.

"I'm great! A little cold, but great! Are you two working on a case together?" Her smile and enthusiasm was starting to bug me.

"Why, are you?"

"Yeah, but that's not fun to talk about. So, how are _you_ doing, Edward?" She stared at Edward for a little bit, practically drooling. I tugged on Edward's sleeve.

"Edward and I need to be on our way, but it was really _great_ seeing you!" I emphasized the word great, mocking her. Edward sent me a strong disapproving look, shaking his head.

"It was good seeing you, Tanya. But Bella is right; we do need to go…" Tanya's face fell a bit as we both started to walk backward, inching away from her.

"Oh. Well, it was _great_ seeing you Edward! Bye Bella!" And with that, Edward and I turned quickly around and hurried off into the crowd, disappearing from her view.

"You could have been nicer, Bella. Tanya was being nothing but nice to you…" Edward was trying to keep a straight face.

"I don't know…she said that word 'great' too much for my taste." I sent Edward a sly smile, causing him to crack the smile he had been trying to conceal.

"Did she now? I didn't notice." Edward turned his gaze away from me, but his crooked smile remained.

"You seemed to enjoy her presence, though. I thought you were going to burst with joy." I exaggerated, seeing how he would react.

"Ha! I didn't even recognize her until she told me about Mr. Combs. I only went to get coffee with her during our lunch break because she looked so lonely. I never actually thought I'd see her again…" Edward rolled his eyes and I laughed.

"Okay, back on the job. Where to first?" I looked at my surroundings. How could such a bad person hide in a crowded place without being seen?

"My guess would have to be in a very secluded place. Perhaps even a sewer or an old building. Somewhere no one would suspect…"

"Well, if you just suspected it, then that's not it, right?" I joked, Edward just glared at me.

"I don't hear you coming up with any ideas." I heard him mumble under his breath.

"Oh come on…" I pulled him roughly down the sidewalk, his gloved hand tightly in mine, maneuvering around everyone. "Let's go to ground zero and work from there."

"Sounds good to me." He shrugged.

I rolled my eyes, and held my hand up in the air. "Taxi!" I whistled, but the taxis just whizzed by, all of them with their Taxi light off.

"Bella, this is New York. You will never get a taxi at this time."

"But it's only 10 A.M."

"Exactly." He pulled me down the sidewalk, scanning the road. And then we both saw it. A taxi with it's light on, sitting on the curb.

"TAXI!" We both yelled together. Big mistake.

Everyone whipped there head toward the empty taxi and charged for it. Edward and I ran, about ten feet away.

Edward reached the taxi first, smiling smugly at the angry people who had tried to beat him.

I was about to reach the taxi, when I tripped over a briefcase that had been unloaded from the previous rider of the taxi. I fell flat of the asphalt with a thud.

"My bag! You've scuffed it! What do you think you're doing?" The man yelled at me as I felt a strong hand help me up.

Edward's hand tightened on my own. "I'm sorry sir; I didn't see you put it down until the last minute…"

"Well, now you've ruined it!" I had been trained to stay calm in small situations like this. I smoothed my jacket out, rubbing the small pebbles and dirt off of myself as the man continued ranting.

"Sir…"

"Now I have to go home and clean this! Stupid tourists…" I heard the man mumble as he stormed off, without another word.

"Don't worry, Bella. He's a tourist himself. The airport sticker on his luggage told me so. So don't feel _too_ bad." He winked and helped me into the taxi. I scoffed.

I tried to ignore Edward as the taxi cruised slowly along, making its way to ground zero. I was too embarrassed of myself. How clumsy I was!

"Bella, are you alright?"

"I fall down a lot…you'll learn it's not that big of a deal…" I looked at him and realized he wasn't taking about my actual fall, but about my feelings. I blushed again. "Oh. Yes, I'm fine. I get yelled at by strangers all the time for scuffing there nice suitcases because I was racing for a taxi in the middle of New York, it's no big deal." Edward laughed, and I couldn't help but giggle along with him.

The driver pulled over, and the amount of money we owed flashed across a small screen. Edward handed him a large bill.

"Keep the change."

Edward and I stepped out of the taxi, and before we could take a step, someone claimed it.

We walked a little ways away from the roadside. Before even reaching ground zero, I could see the rubble and dust in the air. Men were working in it, with masks covering their faces.

"Wow, so this is ground zero."

"Ready to start our search, Bella?" Edward looked away from the sight. I tore my eyes away from the remains and noticed that Edward's face was fallen. I took his hand and squeezed it.

"Let's do this." And with that, I pulled him in a random direction, beginning our blind search.

* * *

**A/N:** So we see a bit of Bella/Edward chemistry sparking in this chapter. How cute.

Thanks for reading, and please review, review, review!


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: **Strawberry Fields Forever…

Did anyone else like Across the Universe? It was an interesting movie…

But I liked it.

ANYWAY,

I hope you enjoy chapter 4.

Thanks for all the reviews and alerts and favorites for the last chapter. I appreciate it so much! It encourages me…

* * *

**Chapter 4**

We walked for about a mile, looking for anything and everything. Edward jotted some notes down while I spoke into a small handheld recording I always brought with me. With little success, we decided to head over to the Federal Agency to check in.

"Are we lucky or what?" I laughed, as Edward and I hurried over to an empty cab. Who in New York got this lucky at 3:00 P.M?

The taxi was smoky and the driver sent me a wink as I slid into the backseat of the cab next to Edward. I could smell the marijuana on his clothing as he started up the taxi engine.

"Where to?" The man's voice was husky with a thick accent. He had a scar above his bushy, left eyebrow giving a him a menacing.

"26 Federal Plaza." Edward spoke up, not showing any signs of discomfort.

The driver looked up at us curiously from the rearview window, a hint of a smile spreading across his face.

Edward just raised an eyebrow, leaning forward a bit. "Can we get a move on, please?" The driver mumbled some unintelligent words as he started the vehicle and strolled down the street.

Thirty-five minutes later, Edward and I arrived at a large building. Before I exited the taxi, some instinct told me to get his name. "Sir, would you mind if I got your name?" He looked surprised and stared at me.

"Bella? What are you doing?" Edward asked me, giving me a similar expression as the man. I ignored him and continued looking at the driver.

"My name…May I ask why?"

I shrugged. "Because you don't have one of those 'Hello, My Name Is…' stickers like most taxi drivers do."

"Bella? Let's go…it's cold out here." Edward tugged on my sleeve.

"It's Audrey Rancher." He finally responded. Audrey was a Russian name. Interesting…

"Well, thank you for the ride, Audrey." I handed him five extra dollars for a tip and stepped out of the taxi. He sped off quickly.

"What was that, Bella?" Edward ushered me inside the tall building, both of us welcoming the heater that flowed throughout the room.

"I just wanted to be polite…" I grinned up at him. Edward just rolled his eyes.

Without hesitation, we strode past the reception desk, scanning our badges along the way, to a office door in the back. Edward and I had to scan our badges once more, unlocking the door.

The room was large, a long glass table with wood chairs surrounding it. People were hustling around, barely acknowledging our presence.

"Ah, Edward and Bella! The two kids from the west coast…" An older in age, short, round man jogged up to us. His thick glasses sat on the edge of his nose and he looked a bit out of breath.

"I'm Thomas Sales. I am a program analyst and I am here to help you with your Vladimir Anton case. Now if you would follow me…" The plump man left the noisy conference room and led us to an elevator. We rode up to the top floor, before we were once again led to a large office overlooking New York City. I recognized the man sitting behind the desk. It was Mr. Combs, the chief executive of the New York City FBI.

"If you find any evidence or suspicious items, I will be the one to run any DNA testing. Or if you happen to need any information, I will be the one to provide you with it." Thomas motioned for us to sit down, and we did. There was silence in the room as Thomas sat on the tan colored couch in corner of the room.

Mr. Combs watched us intently, before clearing his throat. "Janet has told me a lot about you two. She specifically mentioned how _good_ you two agents were, so I am excepting good results from you." He shuffled some papers and I felt nervous. This guy had power in this business.

"We won't let you down." Edward spoke, clearly. No nervousness was evident in his velvet voice. Mr. Combs smiled.

"So, any leads yet?" I thought back to our time in New York. We had only been here for a day and a half. The only person we had even talked to was Tanya and that taxi driver…

That reminded me. "Actually, I was wondering if Mr. Sales could search something for me?" Thomas stood up instantly, ready for business. "Can you search and find out everything you know about a certain taxi driver, here in New York City? His name is Audrey Rancher…" Edward snapped his head in my direction.

"Bella…just because someone might be Russian doesn't mean that he's involved in what's going on…" So he noticed the Russian accent and name as well…

"Oh, just let Thomas check. There's nothing to lose, right?" Mr. Combs spoke, leaning back in his chair and looking at me curiously. Thomas cleared his throat.

"I'll be back with those results." He left the room in a hurry. Edward ran a hand through his hair and gazed out at the city of New York. We waited in silence for Thomas to return.

When he did return, he was flushed, as if he had been running around. Thomas was, however, empty handed.

"I performed the search and I got no results on an 'Audrey Rancher' whatsoever. I broadened my search to all of New York and still found no taxi driver with that name. I even dared to search for a resident living in the New England country area and found no one, except for an old man who became deceased last year…"

Mr. Combs leaned forward in his chair, a thoughtful look spreading across his face. "You said he was Russian, right Bella?" His dark gaze bore into mine, searching.

"Yes, his accent was strong. I wasn't sure though, until he said his name was Audrey. Sure, that could be an American name, but this man was not American. Edward can vouch for that, can't you?" We all turned our attention toward Edward.

"He wasn't. But still, I don't think he…"

"I think you might have found your first suspect for the Vladimir Anton case. I want you two to find this man again, and question him. Do what you two do best…investigate. Now, if there isn't anything else you need to tell me or need to know, you two are free to go."

We both left, heading back to the hotel in silence. I couldn't help but watch Edward's every move. How he scrunched his nose when he was deep in thought, or when he ran his hand through his hair.

"You're good at this, Bella. I do have to say though, when you tripped over that briefcase, I started having doubts about you…" He teased and I whacked his arm.

The hotel was busy with people when we stepped inside. I had never seen a hotel so busy, and I had been to a lot of hotels. There must have been fifty to sixty people running around. Even a couple of news crews were here.

"What's going on? Did Paris Hilton decide to make an appearance at one of her hotels?" I joked, but when I noticed the seriousness on Edward's face, my heart dropped. I followed his gaze to where a bunch of police officers were standing. There walkie-talkies beeping loudly. Edward and I rushed over. Both of us showed them our badges, before joining in on their conversation.

"What happened here?" Edward asked, looking at their weary faces.

"A triple murder-suicide is what happened."

"What?!" I blurted out. "What happened?"

"There was a loud argument upstairs, according to what some people heard. They were speaking in a foreign language, French is what some of the witnesses heard. Someone called 911 to come and break up whatever was going on. When we arrived, there were loud crashes and then a gunfire. We broke open the door only to find three men lying dead on the ground. When the third man saw us, he tried to shoot himself, only to find his gun out of bullets." The police officer stopped to take a breath. He cleared his throat but it was another police officer that took on the story.

"And before we could stop him, he yelled 'Vous n'apprendrez jamais' and threw himself out the window. It was a terrible sight." The second officer also cleared his throat, not holding anyone's gaze.

"Vous n'apprendrez jamais," I repeated, thinking back to high school. I had taken French for years…

"You will never learn." Edward quoted, looking solemn. "That's what it means."

The officers nodded. "We don't know what significance that holds, but were not giving up. We've moved some of the guests to different floors and taken a couple into questioning…"

"Can we see the bodies?" The officers exchanged quick glances. I felt Edward wrap his hand around mine and squeeze.

"Follow me."

* * *

Destination: Floor 4, Room Number 405.

There was yellow caution tape blocking off the doorway and police officers standing around it. They allowed us through and the sight we saw was sickening. Edward had yet to let go of my hand as we walked bravely through the doorway. I didn't fail to notice that only one police officer followed us into the room.

Someone was in the room dusting for fingerprints. When she saw us she spoke, her voice irritated. "Don't touch anything." And then continued what she was doing.

I scoffed. Like we were amateurs…

I kneeled down at the first bloody corpse. It looked like he had been in a fight before he was killed.

He had a black eye, bloody lip, a scar above his eyebrow…

I froze. "Edward! Look at this…" Edward kneeled down beside me. I pointed at the scar. Edward snapped his fingers, looking up at the police officer standing nervously at the door.

"Get me a Polaroid camera…" Edward kept his hand held out until the officer placed the camera in his hand. After each picture, he waved it in the air trying to get it to dry faster, before putting it in his coat pocket.

"Check him, Bella. I'll check this guy." Edward walked over to another dead body, still holding the camera. This man was lying on the couch, a bullet wound to the back of his head.

I put on a pair of white gloves that someone handed me and opened Audrey's jacket. Let's find out who you really are, Mr. Rancher.

A black leather wallet. Jackpot.

Instead of money, there were receipts. All of them for similar things. Different kinds of weapons and drugs. His license read, 'Ludvig Bertillon'. A paper fell out of the wallet, and when I picked it up, my eyes grew wide. It was a note from Vladimir himself…

_La Pomme tient toutes les informations_

_N'oubliez pas donc de l'apporter!_

_Rencontrez-les à 405_

_Vous savez où..._

_-V.A_

"Edward! Come translate this…I only got to French 2 in high school." Why were they speaking and writing in French anyway when they are Russian?

Edward walked over slowly to me, white gloves covering his hands as well. His expression became confused. "What is it?" I stood up next to him, looking over his shoulder.

"It says,

'The Apple holds all the info

So don't forget to bring it!

Meet them at 405

You know where…'

I can only assume the V.A. stands for Vladimir Anton. But why is apple capitalized?"

"Apple…apple…Oh! Apple computer…he's talking about an Apple computer! But where is it? The note said to not forget it…" Edward and I glanced around the torn up room. There was no laptop in sight.

"But where would it have gone?" Edward and I glanced at each other wide-eyed.

I shook my head, trying to clear my thoughts. "Maybe Ludvig," I pointed at 'Audrey'. "Forgot to bring it, so the guy shot him and everyone else out of anger? And then when he heard the police coming, he jumped because he mentally unstable or something, shouting out those words just to confuse people…"

"Or maybe because he was afraid the CIA would get involved and torture him to get names and places out of him. Maybe he wasn't mental, maybe he just wanted to protect their secrets…"

"I'm sorry, guys. But you two need to clear the room. Chief's orders…" A tired looking police officer came in. "And we need to spray the bodies so they won't rot and stink. We aren't allowed to move them yet, though I wish we could…Hotel guests are absolutely freaking because there are dead bodies in the building." The police officer sighed, before he ushered us out of the room and closing the door.

"But, we were just getting started. We were actually on a roll…" Edward started, the note still in his hand.

The officer took some tweezers and took the note from him, before placing it in a plastic bag. "Go get some rest. You can continue your search tomorrow."

I had a feeling I wouldn't be getting any sleep tonight. Edward took my hand again as we got inside the elevator. "This just keeps getting better and better." I looked up into Edward's green eyes and he suddenly pulled me into a hug.

"Were going to figure this out, Bella. All the clues are right there…right in that room. Just waiting for us to uncover them."

* * *

**A/N:** And the plot thickens. 


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N:** Thanks SO much for all those reviews last chapter. I tried to respond to all of them.

You have no idea how much each review means to me.

Now, here is chapter

* * *

**Chapter 5**

I sighed deeply, listening to Edward's steady breathing. It was nearing 3 A.M. and I hadn't slept a wink of sleep. The bed next tome mine creaked and Edward sat up on his elbows.

"Bella?" His voice was still sexy, even though it was groggy. If only he knew what he did to me… He squinted at the clock, his eyes adjusting. "What are you still doing up?" I took another breath through my nose and leaned my head against the wall, avoiding Edward's now probing eyes. "Bella, what's wrong?" He got out of his bed and sat on the edge. I was very aware of his bare chest and dark pajama bottoms. When I didn't answer him, he joined me in my bed, sitting on top of the sheets while I was under them.

He brushed his hand throw my hair, causing little shocks of electricity pulse through my veins. I closed my eyes and tried to clear my head. He would know if I lied to him. Might as well tell him the brutal truth.

"I've never…" I cleared my throat silently. "I've just…I've never spoken to a victim, Edward. I've never actually talked to someone before they were murdered. It's…it haunts me. Every time I close my eyes, I see his face in the taxi. Then I see him dead…on the floor. With a pool of blood surrounding him." Edward wrapped his arm around my shoulder and I leaned my head against his arm. "I just can't stop thinking about him."

"I know what you mean, Bella. I really do…" Edward struggled for words. "…You just have to look past it and concentrate on the negatives of the situation. I know that sounds strange, but if you don't, you'll never stop feeling remorse for the victim. Just think, he was involved with terrible things, Bella. And with him and those other guys dead, we have evidence. We are one step closer to finding Vladimir Anton. You know what damage that man could do. I just wonder what he's waiting for…" Edward's voice trailed off and he seemed dazed.

"You're right." I exhaled, snapping Edward out of whatever trance he was in. He smiled.

"I know I am. And we'll find out more tomorrow. But for right now, you need to sleep. I don't want dead weight on my hands all day tomorrow…" I lifted my head up and smacked his arm.

"You'll be the dead weight if you keep those comments up." I laughed before scooting down further in the bed and got comfortable. I laid my head back down on the pillow, before looking up at Edward who was watching my every move with those gorgeous green eyes of his. They sparkled, even in the dark. "Thank you, Edward."

His crooked smile made my heart stutter. "You're welcome, Bella." He started to slide his way out of my bed when I grabbed his wrist.

"Where do you think you're going?" Edward looked at me quizzically.

"Back to bed?"

"Nope. You're staying right here. Okay?" I snuggled up into my covers and watched him. He compensated this before laying cautiously down on the other side of the queen-sized bed. His eyes never left mine.

"If you want me too…"

"I do. Now go to sleep." I joked, closing my eyes. For the first time in a while, I fell asleep with a smile on my face.

* * *

"Bella." Someone called my name, disrupting my sleep.

"Go away." I mumbled, turning my face into my pillow.

"I would, if you would let go." The silky voice chuckled, his warm breath scattering across my face. My eyes shot open.

"Oh!" I jerked upward, letting go of Edward. My hands had somehow ended up tightly around his waist, pulling him to me. A blush tainted my face.

"Edward, I'm so sorry!" Edward just laughed.

"You have nothing to be sorry about. I never said I didn't like your arms around me…" He winked before placing a chaste kiss on my forehead. My blush deepened, before he hopped out of bed and into the bathroom. My skin tingled from where his lips were.

The events of last night then hit me like a torpedo. Where on earth had all the boldness come from? Did I sleep talk? And when had Edward become so bold…kissing me like that? I wonder what it would feel like to kiss him for real…

I banished that thought. Edward and I were partners. We were not a couple…not matter what our security papers may say. We are going to solve this case once and for all and never see each other again. He'll go back to his life and I'll go back to mine.

For some reason, that thought sickened me.

I shook my head and quickly got dressed before Edward emerged from the bathroom. I really need to get more sleep. What was I thinking?

There was no way I was falling for Edward Cullen…

* * *

"Excuse me? My name is Isabella Swan and I work with the FBI. I would like permission to investigate the bodies…" I held my badge up to one of the new police officers standing outside room 405.

"I'm sorry, but I am only allowed to admit Crime Scene Investigators in this room…"

"I was told last night that I would be allowed to…"

"Well, things have changed. This is the CSI's job, so don't get in their way. Now, go do whatever you FBI special agents do…"

I narrowed my eyes. "Are the CSI agents in there right now?"

"Well no…"

"Well then I'm going in. If you have a problem with that, please…call my boss. He'll be more than happy to talk to you. I was told I could look at the bodies today so that is what I intend to do…" I dug in my wallet and pulled out Mr. Combs' business card. The police officer took it and looked at it blankly. "Now if you'll excuse me…"

I pushed past the man and into the room. Everything was just as I had last seen it. The police officer from outside followed me in. "Wait just a minute miss…"

I pulled on some white gloves and knelt by one of the bodies, wishing Edward was with me. But of course, he wasn't. Edward was currently investigating the body of the man who had jumped out of the window. I wonder if he had a large man breathing down his neck like I did…

"Can you please, just…back away from me? You're too close for comfort." I glared, my lack of sleep kicking in. For heaven's sake, it was only 6 in the morning.

The officer grumbled but did as he told, standing against the door.

No more clues were found from the other bodies. I sighed and stood up, the same time a CSI agent came bustling through the door. She looked at me wearily, showing me a fake smile. I pushed my way past her and headed downstairs, ready to meet up with Edward.

I stepped outside, to the area where the body had hit the ground. As soon as I ducked under the caution tape, I heard yelling.

"Suspect on location! Suspect on location!" I heard a slam and something crash to the ground. Edward!

I ran as fast as I could, pulling my gun out of it's sheath. When I approached Edward, he was sitting on the ground with a bloody forehead. Police officers rushed past me, chasing after whoever had attacked my Edward. I mean, Edward. Whoever had attacked Edward…

"Are you alright?!" I rushed forward but he held out his bloody hand.

"Don't touch me." My eyes grew wide and my heart started to pound. He looked up at me, his auburn hair sticking to his forehead, drenched in blood. A crooked smile danced across his face.

"What…?"

"Bella, I'm evidence." He stood up slowly, making sure not to touch any walls or anything around him. He wobbled slightly and I just wanted to run up and hug him. But he was right, whoever attacked him had been messy.

A minute later, an ambulance arrived on the scene.

* * *

Edward stripped down to his boxers and placed his clothing in a brown paper bag that I held up for him in the family bathroom in the hotel. I couldn't help myself as my eyes trailed across his body. He noticed my watching and chuckled.

"Liking what you see?"

"Just get dressed." I rolled my eyes and averted my gaze, biting my lip. The blush already rising to my cheeks.

Edward pulled on a slick robe and tied it tightly around himself, shivering from the drafty air. "Sit down." I ordered, nudging him slightly. I placed the brown bag on the floor and kneeled down where Edward had sat on the lid of the toilet seat.

"Do I trust you doing this? Shouldn't we get someone…"

"I'm just getting a sample of your blood, don't have a heart attack." I mumbled, pulling on some clear gloves and getting a cotton swab out of my small black bag. Edward watched me carefully, my face so close to his I could feel his breath against my lips.

I placed the cotton swab on his bloody wound on his forehead. He winced as I held it there.

"There." The bloody cotton swab would be taken to a lab so they could identify any blood they found on the scene and not confuse it for Edward's.

I left Edward to clean himself up while I delivered the clothes and swab to the CSI waiting outside.

My mind started wandering after I had given a random Crime Scene Investigator the contents.

Edward could have been killed! All because the cop that was suppose to be on body watch wasn't doing his job…

Technically, Edward and I weren't really doing _our_ jobs, but the CSI's. And I knew they wouldn't appreciate that…but still!

I made my way back into the lobby of the Hilton which was now once again bustling with people. I guess it was time to forget about the bodies for the time being and move on.

"Bella! Come look at this…" Thomas Sales was here? He waved at me excitedly from near the reception desk of the hotel. I hurried over, before he handed me a large brown bag. It was really heavy…

The bag was similar to the one I had put Edward's clothes in for DNA testing.

"What's this?"

"Don't ask, just look." I stared at him for a minute before opening the bag. "A police officer found this, this morning. Not an FBI agent or a CSI agent, but a regular police officer. Can you believe that?" Thomas laughed, shaking his head.

My eyes were wide and I had lost my voice for a moment. How…Where…?

"How did you get this, Thomas?!" Edward came up behind me and pressed my back to his front side. Goosebumps ran up my arms.

"What's this, Bella?" Edward rested his head on my shoulder, his arms around my waist. Thomas looked at us curiously, but I was too preoccupied to blush for once.

I opened the bag once more, allowing Edward to look in the large bag. He took a short intake of breath. "Thomas where did you find this? How? When?!"

Thomas smiled. "I'll tell you all about it back at the office. Meet me in the conference room you first met me in at 5:00." And then he took the bag and hurried out, but not before shooting us a large, triumphant smile.

"Do you think that's the one the note was talking about?" I turned around in Edward's arms, not wanting to break his comforting grasp.

"I think so." Our large smiles matched. We were finally going to get somewhere. We were finally going to solve this.

* * *

**A/N: **Sorry for the shortness. But yay for the minor Edward/Bella fluff! lol.

Poor Edward! He was attacked while investigating.

And don't worry…they aren't anywhere near solving the case.

Now, I wonder what's in that bag…

Any ideas?


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N:** I think everyone who guessed what was in the bag got it correct. Shows how predictable I am…

Haha.

Thanks for the reviews, everyone! They make me happy and wanting to write more and more and more.

Now here's a little story before my story…

I was playing with a bouncy ball with my dog, and the ball landed on this table knocking over and breaking a picture frame. Oops! So now I am hiding and writing, hoping my mom doesn't see. I mean, all you really have to do is just glue it back together…

Anyway, enough of my rambling.

On with the show…!

* * *

**Chapter 6**

At 5:00, Edward, Thomas, and I sat around the large conference table. Thomas had cleared the room so it was just us three before we even arrived.

The bag sat in the middle of all of us, taunting us. Begging for us to open it. Thomas reached in the brown bag and pulled out the highly damaged Apple computer. Edward set the bag on the floor, before eagerly reaching for the computer.

Thomas pulled it away. "Don't! If we all start touching it at once we might break it even further…" Edward drew his hand back, not wanting to mess anything up. He was like a child in a candy shop. Edward, who was sitting on my right, kept brushing his hand against mine causing my skin to tingle where he touched me. Thomas must have thought I was having a hot flash, because of the blush that kept corrupting my cheeks. I put my hands on the table so Edward would quit touching and distracting me.

Thomas opened the laptop for the first time, only to find a large scratch across the screen. A couple of the keys were popped off and there was dirt and rubble all over the laptop, as if it had fallen on the ground multiple times and left there.

"Does it work?" I bit my lip. Thomas held down the on button, but nothing happened. Edward and I both sighed, disappointed. Back to square one. "Hold on, you two. Where do you think you are going?" We had both stood up, ready to leave. Thomas turned the laptop on its back and pushed his glasses further up on his nose. Edward and I sat back down, exchanging glances.

Leave it to Edward to take advantage of the moment with my hands under the table to take one in his own. Not that I was protesting…

Once Thomas easily popped the back off the laptop, he started looking at the wires. "Getting information out of this thing should be simple but a long process. If you two want, come back in an hour or two and I should have retrieved most of the information. Let's just hope that this was Vladimir Anton's only information source, but I highly doubt it. He probably has multiple laptops, just like this one laying around. He might have even left this one in the hotel room on purpose, hoping we'd find it…"

"But Edward and I looked in the hotel room…" I started, but Thomas cut me off.

"It was stuffed behind the curtain. The CSI found it right after you left the first time, before giving it to us. Speaking of which, you might want to stay out of their business. And if my word doesn't stop you, just take a look at Edward's forehead." Thomas warned, but I didn't. I didn't need to see the deep gash across his forehead.

Edward hid the gash well though. His hair covered most of it and even with the cut he still looked good. Why oh why did my partner have to be so…gorgeous.

"We won't, don't worry." Edward stared at me, nodding his head to the side, encouraging me to say the same thing.

"We won't meddle, Thomas." They both looked at me, a smirk on their faces. "What I won't!" They continued to stare. I rolled my eyes. "Well, good luck with the laptop! We'll see you later." I waved as I hurriedly walked out of the conference room, Edward on my heels.

"Edward, do you always have to…"

"Bella, Edward!" Mr. Combs came running up to his, his forehead drenched in sweat.

"Mr. Combs, are you alright?" Edward asked in alarm. The chaos in the building was similar to the chaos in the hotel.

"What's going on?"

"There's a Mercedes waiting for you two outside. There's been a reporting of some highly suspicious behavior near ground zero. At an old abandoned building…" People pushed by us, while Mr. Combs handed us an FBI vest and walkie talkies. We slipped them on quickly, attaching the electronic devices to the back of the vest as Mr. Combs led us out to the awaiting Mercedes. "Just follow them." He waved his hands toward an FBI car in front of the car we were suppose to be driving. "And get going you two! This could involve _your_ case! So hurry!" Edward hopped in the drivers seat, while I took the passenger seat. Mr. Combs shut the car door for me, before tapping the roof of the car, signaling us to go.

Edward turned on a small siren that had been installed in the car and hurried after the FBI van in front of us. People tried to get out of our way as we sped down the crowded roads of New York City, trying to beat the clock.

* * *

Edward parked the black Mercedes next to three police cars, an ambulance, and two other FBI cars. Edward and I hopped out quickly, drawing our guns.

"Come out with your hands up!" Police men aimed their guns at the door, waiting for it to open. Five minutes later of yelling and threats, no one came out.

"Are you sure it was a murder and not a suicide?" I heard a fellow agent ask another.

"I think it's time to go find out." He responded. The agent motioned for us all to surround the door, before he kicked it in. We all swarmed in, pointing our guns.

Somewhere along the way, I left Edward's side. I turned the corner in the dark building, and saw a male body, dangling from a rusty ceiling fan. A chair was laying flat on it's side, as if the man had been standing on it before kicking it over, killing himself. I lowered my gun and put it back in its sheath.

"Hey! Hey!" I yelled out through the door I had come through. The five other FBI agents, including Edward walked through the room.

"Call the CSI."

"Get a doctor!"

"Check for more bodies."

Orders were thrown around and everyone busied themselves with one of the tasks. Edward and I remained at the hanging body. The man was pretty well built, with dirty blonde hair. From what I could see, it looked as if he had baby-like face with bright blue eyes.

"So, it was a suicide after all." Edward mumbled. But something didn't seem right. The chair was too far away from the body, about 5 feet. There was no way that man could have kicked it that far before hanging himself.

"I don't think so Edward." I reached toward the body but Edward's hand caught my wrist.

"Don't touch it! This is the CSI's job…" Edward pulled my arm back. A couple minutes later, two crime scene investigators came in the room.

Edward walked over and ripped down the dirty, thin curtains letting in a flood of light. The hanging body looked more distinguished and morbid in the bright light. "I want you two to stay in here." The female agent spoke, looking me in the eye.

"Why?" I blurted out, causing Edward to elbow me in the side.

"Were going to need your help to get this body down and carrying it without messing up the evidence too much." The lady spoke fluidly, as if she had been doing this job her entire life and if seeing a dead body was normal.

"Wait, so you don't think this was a suicide?" Edward looked a little shocked, before looking at me. I gave him a smug look.

"Well, the chair is too far away for him to knock it over…" The male spoke, his voice gruff.

I was tempted to stick my tongue out at Edward, but somehow resisted. "Our names are Sandra and Roger, by the way." Sandra offered, looking us both in the eyes.

"I'm Bella and this is Edward, we work for the..."

"FBI, I know. You're vest says it loud and clear." I felt stupid. In large, white letters the letters, 'FBI' danced across our vests.

The two crime scene investigators then examined the body in silence.

"Roger, look at this!" Roger looked to what Sandra was pointing at. He slipped on some gloves and started messing with the rope. I wanted to see what they were both looking at, but Edward's hand on my arm held me back.

"It's a strand of female hair. I would say reddish, blondish. Possibly an angry girlfriend's hair?" Rodger stated, before he placed the long thread of hair in a clear bag that Sandra held out to him.

"Hey, Bella? Can you help me cut this rope down?" I was excited that I got to help, even though I saw things like this all the time. She gave me a large knife and pointed to a spot on the rope. I had to step on my tiptoes to reach it. Edward noticed and snickered. "Also, Edward? Can you help catch the body? I don't want it to hit the floor." Edward stood next to Rodger and held the legs of the body while Rodger held his arms out, ready to capture his back. I couldn't help but the unsettling look on Edward's face as he examined the body up close.

I cut through the rope, after several saws, causing the body to fall limply into Rodger and Edward's waiting arms.

"Place him on the floor, I want to check something." Sandra ordered, obviously the boss of Rodger. They placed the body on the floor, letting Sandra examine the man's head.

"Guys, look at this." We all leaned in. She held back the man's ear, showing us a bruise. "Whenever someone gets hanged, a bruise appears behind their ear. See?" Sandra showed us the small bruise, before she lifted up some of the blonde hair, revealing another large, purple bruise next to the bruise behind the ear. "But this bruise is not. That is why, I think that this man was murdered." I squeezed Edward's hand, as I leaned in closer to get a better view. "We need to take him to the lab. I think he may have been hit over the top of his head as well." She showed us her bloody gloves.

We all carried the body out of the building to the ambulance, before Rodger and Sandra got in the emergency vehicle as well. "Thanks for your help, guys! I'll have my people call your people with any information that we find." Sandra joked, as the doors to the ambulance closed.

"Were seeing a lot of caution tape these days, aren't we?" I tried to lighten the mood, not wanting to dwell on the dead male.

"Bella, that man looked familiar to me. Oddly, so." Edward's face looked grave. I wrapped my arm around his waist and led him to our Mercedes, dodging the reporters that had shown up. I didn't want any of the reporters to hear our conversation.

"What do you mean?"

Edward stopped me from entering the car, and stood close to me, pressing me up against the automobile. His green eyes bore into mine, as I put my hands on the side of his face, trying to comfort him.

"Edward, he probably just _looked _familiar. Don't worry about it…"

"You're right." He sighed, closing his eyes. He was so close, all I had to do was rise a little on my tiptoes and my lips would have met his. Oh, how I wanted to do that…

But now wasn't the appropriate time. Someone was just murdered for goodness' sakes! I mentally slapped myself for thinking such thoughts.

* * *

We were about two minutes to the FBI agency when Edward gasped, almost giving me a heart attack.

"What? What is it?" I took my eyes off the road to look at his panic stricken face.

"Bella, I know that man! I remember where I saw him…met him." I looked back at the road, my hands tightening on the steering wheel.

"Who is he?"

He was silent, reminiscing. "It was Michael…something. Michael…" He closed his eyes and snapped his fingers, trying to remember. I pulled into the parking lot of the FBI building and turned the car off. "Newton! Michael Newton! Bella, he was at that lecture in Washington D.C. with me! He was a FBI agent. That's why he looks for familiar! I know him, Bella!" His voice raised an octave. "I didn't like him. He was too…fake. Like, he was a spy or something." Edward put his head in his hands and I rubbed his back. He clenched his hands into fists before sitting back up.

"Do you think that he has something to do with our case?"

The car was silent for what seemed like hours.

"Yes. I think that he has everything to do with this case. Let's go." And with that, he stepped out of the car, leaving me without an explanation.

* * *

**A/N: **Sorry if that chapter confused you.

But I hoped you enjoyed this chapter and aren't too mad at me for that little, bitty cliffhanger. Lol.

Review, review, review please!


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: **Thanks for all the reviews for the last chapter!

* * *

**Chapter 7 **

Edward and I sat across from each other, reviewing the information Thomas had handed us moments before.

"Coffee?" Thomas asked us from across the conference room that Edward and I were getting quite familiar with.

"No thanks." I spoke, not looking up from the paper I was studying.

"Edward?" Thomas asked, but Edward didn't answer. I lowered my paper to see him in deep concentration.

"Edward? Edward!" I spoke louder, getting his attention. His head whipped up and his eyes looked dazed.

"Yeah, what?" He cleared his throat as I motioned toward Thomas.

"Coffee?" Thomas tried again, holding up a Styrofoam cup.

"Oh, no thank you." Edward spoke, his voice weaker than normal.

"What's wrong, Edward?" I whispered so no one else could hear, reaching across the table and grabbing a hold of his hand.

"Bella, I need you to read this…" He slowly slid the papers he was reading across the table. "The paper on top was from the laptop, the one on the bottom is some of Newton's life." I stared at him briefly, wondering what he could have gotten so worked up about, before releasing his hand and picking up the papers.

"Hey, guys? I have a conference call. I'll be back in an hour. If you need anything, just talk to Lucy. She's right outside this door, alright?" Thomas' hands rested on the back of my chair.

"Yeah, alright. We might not even be much longer." Edward spoke dismissively.

Thomas started to leave. "Oh, hey! Thomas…Can we photocopy these if we find something that could be of use to us?"

"No!" Thomas answered quickly, startling me.

Edward and I exchanged a quick glance.

"I mean, no." His voice was softer than before, but the flush in his face didn't settle. "This is top secret stuff. If you took a copy and then lost it, it could be drastic. We don't need to give Vladimir Anton anymore information than he already has, understand?" His voice was soft but urgent. I could only nod.

"We understand." Edward's voice had returned to normal, looking at Thomas suspiciously.

"Okay, well…" Thomas glanced at his silver and gold Rolex. "Shoot, I'm late for the call. I'll see you later!" And with that, he rushed out of the room.

The room was silent as Edward and I just stared at each other.

"That was strange…" I mumbled, before moving onto the papers Edward handed me.

The top page was a scanned copy of a note card addressed to Vladimir Anton, but with no address. As if someone had hand delivered the note card, then scanned it to their computer for later references or something.

I read over it quickly, only to find nothing that could be of interest.

"Edward, we already know all this stuff…"

"Bella, this card is from the FBI agent that is helping out Vladimir."

"How do you know? The only name offered is Vladimir's." I read over the note card again. All it talked about was what illegal weapons were being purchased, something we had learned about before this trip even started.

"You see how the top of the note card says, 'Description of Item'? The note cards we are always supposed to use whenever we find evidence of a case?"

I looked at it once more. "Yeah, but description is spelt wrong…"

"Exactly! A couple months ago, someone missed that typo and printed out around 5,000 of those cards and sent them to over 30 FBI agencies. The next day, someone caught the typo and there was a huge controversy on what to do with them. Some people just decided to leave it be, saying it wasn't a big deal. But others refused to work with an item that had been so carelessly made, saying it looked bad for the FBI image."

He was right. I remembered this now…the agency in California didn't receive the cards because we had already had some custom made.

Instead of the index card reading 'Description', it said 'Descirption', switching the I and the R.

"You're right! But who? It must have been someone in California because that's where the documents were stolen." I declared, only to see Edward shaking his head.

"A week before the documents were taken, there was a large convention held there for some FBI training."

"But a FBI-in-training could have never pulled this stunt off. It would look too…odd to see a new FBI member asking for a key to our most important documents."

"Look at the state this note card came from, Bella." Edward spoke, getting irritated at having to explain this all to me. I flipped the card over and in the far corner the word 'Alaska' caught my attention. "Now, do you remember an FBI agent that you recently met that was from Alaska? Someone who could have easily gotten on a plane and gone to California with no hassle? Someone with strawberry-blonde hair that used the word _great _one to many times…"

My eyes grew wide and my mouth dropped open. "You're absolutely right, Edward! Now it all makes sense!" I stood up from my chair so abruptly it fell over and landed on the ground. Edward looked at me morbidly.

"And one more thing…" His eyes were sad and I felt as if I was missing something huge. "Do you remember what Rodger said? About the hair on the noose?"

I thought back to when he had found that strand of hair. "He said it was…" I gasped. "Strawberry-blonde female."

"That's right."

"Edward, we have to go to Mr. Combs about this. We have to confirm our suspicions and go to the CSI…"

A loud song blared through the room, causing Edward and I both to jump.

_'Cause This Is Thriller, Thriller Night  
And No One's Gonna Save You From The Beast About  
Strike  
You Know It's Thriller, Thriller Night  
You're Fighting For Your Life Inside A Killer, Thriller  
Tonight_

I searched the room for the ringing phone. "Bella, it's coming from you!" Edward spoke, looking at me like I was crazy. "You were suppose to put your phone on vibrate. And why on earth is your ring tone Michael Jackson? What if it rang in public…"

I pulled the strange cell phone out of my coat pocket and stared the screen. The phone had stopped ringing, but there was a new voicemail. "Edward, this isn't my phone…"

Our eyes met before I flipped open the phone and listened to the voice mail. How on earth had this phone gotten in my _pocket?_ Did I put it there and just forget about it? Did someone else put it there?

Edward jumped up from his spot and made me hold out the phone so he could listen. Our cheeks were pressed together, listening to the automatic voice recording.

_You have one new voice message. New message…_

_"Why hello there, Isabella Swan and Edward Cullen. Are you two ready for a Thriller Night?" _There was laughter in the background before the strong Russian accented voice continued,_ "Now I want you two to listen carefully, and if you dare to speak so much as a word to your fellow agents about this, I will terminate Alice Whitlock's life. Do we have an understanding? Good. Now here's what I want you to do…"_

The voice mail continued, explaining where we needed to go and what we needed to do to if we wanted to save Alice's life. But who was Alice Whitlock? Another agent? A trap? I felt Edward stiffen and pale beside me.

The recording ended and Edward snatched the phone out of my hand. "Who sent this?!" He scanned the last callers but all of them read 'Restricted Number'. He yelled out some curse words before throwing the phone on the table.

"Edward! Don't! We need to keep this intact if we want to show the FBI…"

"We can't, Bella!" Edward's voice rose. I had never seen him so upset. "He'll kill Alice if we do!"

"Who is Alice, Edward?" He started pacing the room, his eyes dark.

"Alice Whitlock is my sister. She married Jasper Whitlock about a year ago. I thought she was safe, Bella! I never thought she would get involved in my business or…or…" His voice cracked.

"We don't know if he has your sister, Edward. This could be one large trap. How would he find her, anyway?"

"Have you forgotten already that Tanya is most likely working with him? She could easily get those files and not have anyone suspect anything…and to think I had coffee with her." Edward stopped his pacing and slumped down in a chair, putting his hands in his face.

"Edward, we _have _to take this to Mr. Combs…he'll know what to do."

"No, he won't! He'll just dismiss it as a threat. I personally thought the message was very clear. And I will be willing to do this on my own, Bella. This is my sister were talking about! My own flesh and blood!"

He rose again and hit the table angrily with his fists.

"Can we just stop and think about this for a minute? Please?!" I held onto his arms, trying to keep him from doing anything rash. We had a staring contest, before Edward sighed.

"Alright, I'm thinking…" His voice was still strained, as he tried to remain serene for me.

"Okay, now…where does Alice live?" I spoke void of emotion, even though my thoughts were going haywire. Edward took another deep sigh, closing his eyes.

"She lives in Vermont. Convenient, right?" I rubbed my hands up and down his arm, trying to keep him rational. Edward seemed to relax under my touch.

"Do you have her number? Perhaps we can call her…" Then it dawned on me. The cell phone! "Edward!" He opened his eyes at the urgency in my voice. "The phone was in my FBI jacket pocket, right? So it must have been put there today. That means someone had to get close enough to me, without raising any suspicions, to slip it in there. It's a small phone so it could have been placed there easily, but you are the only one that has really been close enough to do that. " I trailed off, lost in thought.

"There was someone else you got quite close to you." Edward's voice was empty of emotion. His eyes no longer met mine. They stared over my head, staring into nothing.

"Who?" The only other person was probably Mr. Combs. But I had only seen him briefly. There was Rodger and Sandra though, but they were both so preoccupied at the moment. "Who, Edward?"

His gaze wandered back down to my own.

"Mr. Thomas Sales."

* * *

**A/N:** That was very short, yet very important chapter.

But either way, I hoped you enjoyed it!

Now please, press that simple little button and make my day by reviewing!


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: **I almost have 100 reviews! Thank you!!!

You guys are awesome!

I'd like to thank my beta, Chedea, for editing this chapter and the last one, too! Thank you!

* * *

**Chapter 8**

Edward and I barged out of the conference room, startling Lucy. "Can I help…"

"I want to speak with Mr. Sales." I demanded, as we reached her desk. Edward was almost seething beside me.

"I'm afraid that is a little problematic. He's currently on a very important business call…"

"I don't care! Hook me up to his line, then. I have to speak with him, immediately!"

Lucy cleared her throat nervously, before sifting through some papers.

"I would hurry and quit stalling if I were you." Edward's voice was smooth, but the venom that dripped from his voice was evident.

"Here it is…" She fumbled with the buttons on her phone, before mumbling into the receiver. "Conference call, extension 492...Yes, I would like…"

I reached across the desk and took the phone from her hand. "Hey!"

"I would like to interrupt for a moment and ask if Thomas Sales…"

"Привет? Кто - это? Я не могу понять Вас." A Russian voice flooded through the receiver. I looked at Edward smugly, as if this confirmed our suspicions. I reached across the table, despite Lucy's protests and calls for security and hit the 'speaker phone' button.

"Hello? I'm looking for Thomas Sales? Does anyone speak English?" I tried again. There was more Russian mumbling, before someone spoke up. His English was broken as he tried to communicate.

"Hello? Who are you?"

"I'm Isabella Swan. I'm looking for a Thomas Sales…" I spoke slowly, trying to make my words as clear as possible.

"Ms. Swan, please don't bother…" I ignored Lucy.

"Sales? No, no…no Sales here."

"There is no one named Thomas Sales in your conference call?" There was silence before the man spoke again.

"No Thomas in call. Sorry…" The line was disconnected and I looked up to see a security guard holding down the button on the phone.

"You two have obviously had a rough day, why don't you leave and come back another time." It wasn't a question.

Edward and I stormed out of the building and headed toward the Mercedes. "We'll return the car later," I told Edward, as the vehicle purred to life. It ran smoothly out of the building and into the mess of traffic. But instead of turning into the Hilton, I kept going straight.

"Bella, where are you going?" Edward looked over at me briefly, already knowing the answer.

"Were going back to the place we found Michael Newton's body."

* * *

We arrived at the scene, only to find the building deserted of cop cars or CSI vans. Perfect. 

"This is where the voicemail told us to come, right?" I pulled on one of the spare vests from the trunk of the FBI Mercedes and loaded my gun. Edward did the same.

"Right, but I'm actually starting to have my doubts. What if he doesn't have Alice? We could be walking into a trap."

So _now_ he starts to think logically.

"Edward, Alice or no Alice,Vladimir Anton is leading us right to him. This is our chance to take him down once and for all! And we can finally go back to the west coast, which I personally like better than the east coast…"

Edward put a hand over my mouth. "Bella, you're rambling." He chuckled slightly, before he removed his hand from my mouth. My lips tingled from where he had touched me. I cleared my throat and turned my attention toward the entrance of the building.

"Are you ready, partner?"

But Edward was already a step ahead of me. His gun was pointed straight at the ground, before he kicked the door open and ran inside. I was on his heels. We stood back to back, our guns now pointing straight in front of us. The room was empty.

We both hurried to the room where the hanging had taken place not letting down our guard. The only sign of Michael was a faint bloodstain on the floor. The noose and the chair had been removed from the scene.

"Bella, look at this!" Edward exclaimed, putting his gun back in his belt. I wasn't so cautious.

On the wall, next to the door, was a letter. "It's in French." I groaned, but Edward seemed to be reading it effortlessly.

"It says,

_Dear Edward and Bella,_

_I see you have completed the first step. I truly hope that you two are alone, or else Mrs. Whitlock will experience death today. I want you two to go to 45 Rye Street, not far from here. It's a large, abandoned warehouse. You cannot miss it._

_See you soon._

_-V.A._

_P.S. Please, do not delay._

We were both silent for a moment before I had an epiphany.

"Edward! That's the large, stone building that Audrey Rancher, or should I say Ludvig Bertillon, picked us up in his cab. We thought we were lucky at getting a cab right at rush hour, remember?!" Edward's eyes grew wide, as he took in what I said.

"You're right, Bella!" Edward crumpled up the piece of paper and shoved it in his pocket before dragging me out of the building.

Edward hopped in the driver's seat and slammed the door shut. When he realized I hadn't gotten in on the other side of the car, he looked confused.

"Bella?" I crossed my arms and tapped my foot. He stared at me bewildered for a second before he sighed and opened the car door, allowing me to drive.

He mumbled under his breath as he went to sit in the passenger seat.

"Well, _sorry_ that I want to drive a nice car. You should see my car back home. It's a piece of…"

"Okay, okay. Just drive." Edward sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose.

Moments later, we arrived at the large warehouse. It had an eerie feeling to it, as Edward and I once again pulled our guns out of their sheaths.

Edward entered the building first again, but this time, neither of us knew what to expect. We turned both ways, thankful for the light that shone dimly through the windows of the concrete walls. The air inside the building was as cold as the air outside. I shivered as I moved slowly throughout the room.It was completely empty, except for scattered chairs here and there.

"Bella, look at these gunshots." Edward pointed out bullet holes all along one of the walls. It looked as if someone went crazy in here and opened fired.

"Let's go through here first." Edward crept through a darker room and I followed close behind him. The room looked as if it had been an office. There was a staircase on the far side of the wall, leading up to what looked like an abyss. On the other side of the room was a large wooden desk and a discarded computer.A smashed filing cabinet was on the ground and a picture that was once hanging on a wall, lay shattered across the floor.

"You search this room and I'll go up the stairs and look around. Yell if you need something, okay?" Edward didn't wait for a response as he started up the stairs. He took out a small flashlight and directed it in front of him.

"You yell if you need something, too." I hollered out to him, already heading over to the old computer desk. The wood was rotting and there were deep, red stains decorated across it. Blood.

The air seemed to close in around me, as the light from outside got a little dimmer. It would be twilight soon.

"Let's see what we have here…" I mumbled to myself, trying to open all the desk drawers. They were stuck at first, but with enough prying and hitting, I got one of them open. "Bingo." I whispered, having resorted talking to myself.

The drawer was empty…at first glance. I pressed in the drawer and realized that the bottom of the cabinet was not the 'real' bottom. I lifted the heavy wood, that disguised the drawer to appear as if it were empty, out and looked back inside.

Bingo! I got it on first try!

Inside, were a large stack of papers. The files we were looking for! I picked up the semi heavy folder and opened it up carefully.

My eyes widened and I gasped. I skimmed through each file quickly! About half of these files were personal information on FBI agents. The other half were future plans that the FBI agency were going to make and what they were going to do to solve our conflict with Russia. If someone, like a Russian, found these files...they could easily counter attack these plans and ruin our chances of stopping a future war!

I stood up and jogged to the door, holding the file tightly to my chest. I would put these in the Mercedes for safekeeping, then deal with Thomas, Tanya, and Vladimir.

I was about to open the front door, when I heard a blood-curdling scream. I almost dropped the files.

My head whipped to the direction it had come from. It was upstairs.

Edward!

I looked back down at the stack of papers in my hand. These were the files that almost every FBI agency was agonizing over and searching for. And I had them, here in my hands…

I had to decide quickly as yet another scream filled the air. Goosebumps ran up my arms and panic set in.

What would it be?

Edward or the world?

* * *

**A/N**: Sorry for that evil cliffy! 

Please review!


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: This chapter was extremely hard for me to write. So that's just a head's up.**

**Thanks for all the reviews for the last chapter. They made me smile!**

* * *

**Chapter 9**

Another scream pierced the air and I made my decision. I opened the door, threw the file in a large, overgrown bush and darted back inside. I stumbled back to the office and up the staircase. My gasps came in ragged breaths and I tried to regain control of my emotions.

I stumbled blindly in the darkness, searching. I squinted and spun around wildly, before I saw it.

A small light escaped from the bottom of a doorway, about twenty feet away from where I was standing. As my eyes adjusted, I could make out the thick frame of the door.

I heard two loud, rough voices speaking German as I approached the doorway. They laughed wickedly, sending goose bumps up my arm.

I felt around indiscriminately for the door handle. Pieces of wood from the door broke off in my hand, splintering my skin. And then I grasped it.

Even in the dark I could tell the doorknob was rusty. I gripped my gun even tighter in my right hand before I took a deep breath and flung open the door.

The two men talking stopped abruptly and whipped around to face me. My eyes widened as I saw Vladimir Anton for the first time. Sure I had seen pictures, but he looked even more menacing in person. He had a graying, bushy mustache, giving him a foreign, political look. He had a full head of black hair, oiled back so it would stay out of his face.

Vladimir smiled smugly at me, as if he had been expecting me. He made no motion toward me and I made no motion toward them. I slid my gaze slowly away from Vladimir to the man that he was talking to and almost gasped.

"You!" I blurted out, pointing my gun at him. The man looked nervously between Vladimir and the gun. I couldn't believe it!

It was the police officer that had been breathing down my neck! He was the one that didn't even want me looking at the bodies! It was him all along!

"Go on, shoot him. I don't care. I no longer need Mark's services anyway." Vladimir waved his hand in the air, dismissing him. Mark looked bewilderedly at Vladimir. I could almost see the sweat seeping through Mark's shirt.

I looked back at Vladimir Anton and I almost choked when I finally looked past the two men.

There was a large tank filled with water. How had I not noticed it before?! Vladimir followed my eyes.

"I see you are admiring my large tub." Vladimir turned around and started walking toward the tank. I immediately pointed my gun at Vladimir as he started to tap the side of the clear tank. "You see, this right here is a 10 ft. by 10 ft. tank. This bullet proof glass is a good 2 feet thick by itself." Next to the tank there was a small set of stairs, leading up to a platform so you could step into the tank. The lid of the tank was standing straight up, hinting that even the slightest movement toward it would knock it over and close it. Vladimir, being much to observant, noticed my staring. "Yes, yes. The special thing about this tank is that as soon as this bad boy closes, it automatically locks. And only I have the key." Vladimir snickered and I cocked my gun.

"Where's Edward?" I growled. Vladimir just raised his eyebrows.

"You mean that FBI agent that came in here earlier? Oh, he's just fine…A little tied up at the moment, but fine."

Vladimir strutted away from the tank to the other side of the large room. He headed over to a closet and pounded on the door. I heard a muffled noise from inside.

"If you hurt him…" Venom dripped from my voice, but Vladimir showed no notice.

"Calm down, beautiful. I wouldn't be worrying about him when you have something much bigger to worry about at the moment." Vladimir opened the closet door and Edward came tumbling out. His hands and feet were bound together and he had a thick piece of tape over his mouth. Edward's eyes flashed to mine helplessly, as if he were begging for help.

I almost shot Vladimir right then and there for hurting Edward. Edward made some more muffled sounds and then I remembered. If Edward was gagged, then it wasn't him who screamed. And why would someone be screaming unless they weren't on Vladimir's side…

I heard a splash and I whipped my head around to see a familiar strawberry-blonde falling into the large tank. Mark stood smugly on the platform, his hand resting on the lid.

"NO!" I aimed my gun and fired but even with Mark dead, I was too late. Mark had closed the tank, before falling off the platform limp. Tanya banged on the side of the tank helplessly, her hands and feet bound just like Edward's. She seemed to be yelling underwater, panicking.

I heard another gun being cocked as I almost bolted toward the tank. I whipped my head around, to see Vladimir aiming a gun at me.

"Let her out!" I screamed as Tanya's poundings became louder. "LET HER OUT!" I screamed again, getting desperate.

What happened next was so quick, I could hardly comprehend what was going on. Edward kicked Vladimir's feet out from under him, causing Vladimir to fire. It missed my head by a couple of inches and hit the tank. Indeed, the tank glass was bullet proof.

I ran over to where Vladimir was trying to stand up once more and I shot him. Right in the stomach. The echo of the gunfire seemed to wake up the aderaline inside of me.

Vladimir fell back once more, a blood of pool started to form him as he started gasping for air. I kicked away his gun and ripped the tape from Edward's mouth.

"Help Tanya! She's innocent!" Edward's voice was urgent.

"What about the keys?!"

"He doesn't have them! Mark threw them in the tank! Hurry, Bella! I give her thirty more seconds!" I bolted in the closet and searched for something heavy. An umbrella, a plank of wood…

A hammer!

I snatched the hammer from the closet and darted over to the tank. FBI agents were trained to hold their breath for at least two and a half minutes. And it had already been three.

Tanya's banging grew softer as I pounded the tank over and over and over again with the hammer. The tank started to crack and the glass grew weaker with each hit. Her pounding stopped and her body grew lifeless. I hit the glass one more time before it exploded, causing all the water in the tank to flow out. Tanya's body hit the floor with a thud and the next thing I knew, Edward was running over. He had somehow unbound himself and was pressing on her abdominal.

"One, two, three…" I heard him mumbling, as he performed a series of under-the-diaphragm thrusts, trying to get the water out of her lungs.

I ran over to where Vladimir was still gasping for air. As much as I wanted to watch him suffer and die, I couldn't. I searched him quickly, pushing away a broken piece of large glass that Edward had obviously used to free himself, until a found a cell phone.

I dialed an ambulance and called the FBI agency quickly, before returned to Edward's side.

"Come on, Tanya…Come on!" I heard Edward grumbling, his pushing became harder. "Come on!" He became frustrated.

"Edward, move over!" I pushed him aside and tore Tanya's damp shirt off, exposing her perfect body. I continued giving Tanya the Heimlich Maneuver, not failing to notice her freezing cold skin. Edward, feeling helpless, ran over to Mark's dead body beside the now empty tank. Edward checked the police officer for a pulse, but found none.

"So Thomas wasn't involved…" I heard Edward say to himself, his voice was weak. "I was wrong."

"Edward, quit…moping! Go get the files and secure them! They're in a large bush outside. Go!" I hollered at him.

He looked hesitant. "Edward, go!" He was about to leave, when Tanya gasped and threw-up all the water that had been in her lungs. She coughed madly and I tapped her back, helping her. Edward, of course, ran over to us and kneeled by Tanya.

"You're okay." I whispered, sighing in relief. "You're okay, Tanya."

"Oh yeah? Try helping her after this…" And then the sound of another bullet being fired filled the air, causing a bloody Tanya to collapse in my arms. Vladimir fell to the side out of breath, having weakly crawled over to where I had kicked his gun. The smile didn't leave his face, despite the pain he was probably in from his stomach. I didn't fail to notice that he cocked the gun once more.

"NO!" Edward roared, before he bolted toward Vladimir.

"Edward, no!" I left Tanya's lifeless, bloody body on the ground and grabbed Edward's arm, pulling him backward. He fell on the floor behind me when Vladimir fired his gun again, before finally falling dead from blood loss.

The world seemed to stop moving and everything seemed to go in slow motion.

About ten people came running in the room, all scattering about and yelling orders to one another.

And I somehow ended up in Edward's arms.

"Bella!" I heard Edward whisper. I could see his eyes watering, before everything went black.

* * *

**A/N: -gasp!- I bet none of you were expectng that!**

**So Tanya _AND _Thomas were both good guys. Imagine that. lol.**

**Now what about Bella and Edward? What about those terribly important files Bella so carelessly left in he bushes outside?! What about Tanya and Mark and Vladimir? Are they really dead?!**

**...Dundundun...**

**Tell me what you loved, what you hated, what annoyed you...**

**Just review!**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Thanks for all the reviews! They made me smile…**

**And it really encouraged me to keep writing and to update faster. **

**Okay, so I bet you all thought the story was coming to a close. And truthfully, I did too. Until I had an idea last night.**

**What a plot turner this will be. **

**Enjoy!**

* * *

**Chapter 10**

I felt like I had been out for hours, but in reality, it had been a few minutes.

"Bella, are you okay?!" Edward was cradling me in his arms, shaking me lightly. But the minute my eyes opened, all the worry that had been etched in his face were gone. "Don't scare me like that again!"

"Sorry." I mumbled, forcing a smile. My side was aching and I struggled to regain my breath. I looked down at my vest and pulled out the bullet that had become lodged into it. "Thank goodness for these, right Edward?" I teased lightly, tugging at my vest as Edward helped me stand.

My wince as I put pressure on my left side didn't escape Edward's notice. He steadied me and kept an arm around my waist, his eyes watching me carefully. I always hated getting the wind knocked out of me. My face was probably all red and I probably looked like a mess.

"Bella! You're alright!" Mr. Combs rushed over to me, grabbing one of my hands in his. "I was starting to get worried! If you had been out any longer, we could have assumed some internal damage had been done from the force of the bullet."

"I'm fine, really. But…oh! Tanya! Is she okay?! What about Vladimir?" I searched the room frantically, to notice it devoid of any bloody bodies. I was probably the most battered up person in the room…

Mr. Combs left go on my hand, his eyes downcast. Edward's arm pulled me against his body, almost roughly. "Vladimir got lucky. He got her in the chest. But with her body already weak and begging for air, there was no way she could have survived it."

She had been in my arms before she was killed. I was the last person to speak to her. The last one she saw! I could have saved her! If only I had just moved faster…

"There was nothing we could do, Bella." Edward whispered in my ear, as I felt a lump in my throat.

I spun around swiftly, ignoring the sharp pain as my body protested against my movement. "Tell me. What made her innocent? What's the real story?"

Edward sighed deeply, composing himself. "Tanya was in California when Vladimir got a hold of her. They found illegal drugs on Vladimir and Mark both, so the FBI could only assume that they drugged Tanya, took her keys, got the files, then brought her here."

"But we saw and spoke to Tanya! She would've said something!"

"She would've…unless they were blackmailing her with something. Or someone." We were both silent. Then I remembered.

"Alice! Edward, did you talk to Alice?"

"I did. She was fine, telling me not to worry. I offered to stay with her for a week or so, but she refused. I know I shouldn't be worried about her, but she's my baby sister, you know?" Edward's eyes bore into mine, begging me to understand.

"I _don't_ know. I'm an only child, like I told you on the airplane. But I do know what it's like to have someone I care about being threatened…" As soon as I realized what I said, my eyes grew wide. "Nevermind. But I do understand, Edward." I hugged him, hoping he wouldn't ask about the mysterious 'someone'. I had almost told him I cared about him! But, well, I do care about him…

But we aren't even a couple! We only work together…

I started to pull away, but Edward stopped me by bring his face down to my ear.

"What…?" I started, but his soft, velvet voice broke my train of thought.

"Don't worry, Bella. I care about you too. More than you know." And then he pulled away from me, winking. I blushed, as we both headed back to the FBI building, to get our tickets home.

* * *

Edward and I had both gotten our stuff together and were waiting at the airport, side by side. His airplane left a good hour after mine did, but he insisted he be there when I boarded my plane home to California.

"It was a pleasure working with you, Edward. I'm really glad we solved this thing. I was never really told, though. What did they do with Vladimir's body? Was he dead when Mr. Combs and the rest arrived?"

We continued to walk slowly toward my terminal, trying to savor each moment together. Corny, yes I know.

"Yeah, he was dead on the scene. Last I heard was, they put his body in a morgue. As soon as I left, Janet called me just to tell me 'good job' and 'case closed'."

"So it's all really over?" I asked. I couldn't hide the sadness that leaked through my words.

"I thought you would be happy. No more sharing a bathroom." His voice was masked, as he tried to keep the mood light. I just shrugged.

"You weren't so bad. You cleaned up after yourself and you didn't snore." I playfully nudged him in the arm and he just smiled.

"How's your side doing? What did the doctors say?" We had reached my terminal, to find they were just about to board.

"It's fine. The doctor just said I had only bruised my side and that I should heal up nicely in about a week."

Edward didn't answer, as the flight attendant starting calling off rows.

"Oh! That's me, Edward." I spoke softly, as rows 8 and 9 were called. No first class this time.

We stood facing each other awkwardly. I shifted my bag up onto my shoulder.

"Well, I guess I'll see you around…" Then, surprisingly, Edward pulled me to him, crushing my lips against his. His lips worked expertly against mine and it felt as if my own lips were on fire. A small moan escaped my throat, causing Edward to chuckle and pull away.

"I'm sorry I waited so long to do that, Bella." He stroked my cheek lightly, before my row was called once more. I could feel the curious stares of the other passengers, as Edward stepped away from me, allowing me to go.

"It was worth the long wait, Edward. Don't worry." And then I boarded the plane, hoping I would get to see Edward again.

I couldn't help but let a tear fall down my cheek. I had wanted so badly to get this job over with in the beginning, but now I really didn't want it to end. Ever. Despite all the hurt and death I've had to experience.

My phone vibrated in my pocket, almost as soon as I had gotten seated.

"Hello?" I didn't recognize the number.

"Bella, I just wanted to say that I'm not going to let you get away with jumping in front of that bullet for me, okay? I'm the guy, I should've been the one to save you. Not the other way around…"

I laughed. "Don't worry, Edward. You'll get that chance. I promise." There was hope in my voice. I was really going to have to call Janet after this…

"I'm going to really miss you, Bella."

"Me, too."

I could hear his breathing on the other side of the phone.

And then he sighed. "Goodbye, Bella."

"Bye, Edward." My voice was soft and I doubt he heard me. But I closed the phone anyway.

I saved his number.

* * *

It was around ten o' clock when I walked into my small apartment in Sacramento, California. I threw my suitcase on my bed and headed to the bathroom when I heard it.

I froze in my tracks, my eyes growing wide. I bolted back toward the bed and dug through my bag. I thought I had turned the phone into the FBI agency! I was almost sure I did!

I opened the phone, my hands shaking, only to find that there was a new text message. One that had been sent at exactly 10:32 in the morning. About 30 minutes after Vladimir had been pronounced dead.

I opened the text message, trying not to make any noise. The silence closed around me as the small, bright screen lit up my face in my dark room.

_Did you think your Thriller night is over?_

_Think again, Isabella._

_It has only begun._

_I assume you haven't forgotten about 'Little Miss Alice',_

_Because it would be tragic if you did._

I almost dropped the phone. Vladimir Anton was dead! He was in a body freezer in a morgue! Mark and Tanya were both dead too! He couldn't have escaped. There was no way…

He was dead, for goodness' sakes!

I fumbled for my own phone and redialing Edward's number.

"Hello?"

"Edward!" The panic in my voice was clear and my eyes were watering. This could not be happening.

"Bella? Are you alright?"

"No! Edward, call Alice right now!" And then I hung up. I paced around the room, debating on calling Janet or Mr. Combs. How would I explain the phone in my bag? I would get in serious trouble for withholding evidence. Even though I clearly gave it to a CSI agent. I even watched the car drive away with the phone in it!

Ten minutes later, Edward called. "Bella! What is going on? What do you know?! Where is Alice?"

I chocked back a sob. "Edward, Vladimir is still alive."

"Impossible! I saw his dead body in pictures! There is no way on earth that he could be alive! Mr. Combs told me himself he was going over to the morgue after we left! Bella, is this some sort of a joke?! I called Alice's cell phone, home phone, and even her work phone! No answer! She never doesn't answer..." I hung up, only to have my phone start ringing again. No doubt it was Edward, calling to apologize and to perform the Spanish Inquisition on me or something.

I flipped open my laptop and researched 'Vladimir Anton', trying to keep myself calm. My gaze kept flashing to the lone, lack phone on my bed. There was no name for who sent the message. All it said was it was from 'A Thriller Night'. I scrolled down, reading each link headline. Most of the stuff was about the capture and death of him, but what caught my eye was a biography on him.

I scanned it quickly and gasped. I reread it once more, before leaning back in my computer chair and picked up my still ringing cell phone.

"This can't be happening." I groaned, before answering my phone. "Edward, calm down and listen to me! You are _not_ going to believe this..."

* * *

**I'm a terrible person. I know.**

**Another cliffhanger you all have to endure…**

**But my battery on my laptop is dying so I have to hurry. So please, review!**

**I gotta go charge my computer now... xD**


End file.
